Monday, February 27, 2012

The smell of these kebabs is simply amazing. These can either be made as meatballs or as kebabs formed on bamboo skewers. They are fantastic served with a simple tzatziki or yogurt sauce in a pita or with a salad.

﻿Serves four

1 pound ground lamb or beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs or almond flour

3 tablespoons onion, minced

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix until well combined. Form the mixture into approximately 24 evenly sized balls. Form around the bamboo skewers if using. Flatten the balls into a 2 inch long oval.

Grill Method

Preheat the grill to medium heat and grease lightly. Cook the kebabs on the grill, turning periodically, until cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.

Oven Method

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Brown the kebabs on each side in a skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the kebabs to a foil-lined roast pan and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

This past Friday, I managed to experience my first food tuck when some co-workers decided to head downtown in search of the Perogy Boyz. We found the bright red truck parked along 5th Avenue SW across from the McDougall Centre. Unfortunately I did not think to take any photos so I have had to borrow some.
﻿

Growing up in a Ukrainian family with a Baba of my own, I have tried my fair share of perogies and these perogies were pretty close to the one's of my childhood memories. However they were a little oilier than I would have preferred. The onion and bacon topping was delicious - caramelized to perfection. The serving size was a little small but then again I am used to gorging myself on perogies at the family Easter feast so maybe my perspective of an appropriate serving size is off. My co-workers also gave their good reviews.

The Mexicali Perogies looked delicious - filled with ground beef and topped with a generous amount of fresh tomatoes, green onion, cheddar cheese and chili aioli. I would be tempted to return one more time to try the Duck Perogies topped with saskatoon berries and ponzu sauce - the combination sounds intriguing.

Service was outstanding for a food truck - the food was served fast and the cook even took the time to stick his head out of the window to do the obligatory first bite check.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the beets and potatoes into a roasting pan. Roast for 40 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool.

Remove the skin from the beets and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Slice the potatoes and avocado into 1/4 inch slices. Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Wash the salad greens, dry well and place in a large bowl.

Add the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper to a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Divide the dressing between the bowl with the greens and the bowl with the vegetables. Toss to coat. Plate the salad greens and top with the vegetables.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Measure out the milk and vanilla into a small bowl and stir to combine.

Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Add half of the milk mixture and beat to combine. Continue alternating between the dry ingredients and milk mixture until fully incorporated.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake papers, fill to about 2/3 full.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the frosting by beating the butter in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed until creamy. Slowly add the sugar. Pulse the red hot candies in a blender until powdered and then add to the icing. Add the vanilla and milk and continue beating until light and fluffy. Frost cool cupcakes.

Monday, February 13, 2012

I love Valentine's Day not because of the cheesy romantic connotations but because it is an excuse to bake! This year I went all out with two batches of cupcakes. The second recipe will be posted tomorrow.

Vanilla sugar can be made simply by placing a vanilla bean pod into a pound of sugar and allowing it to sit for a couple days. Store in an airtight container.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Slice the vanilla bean pod and scrape out the seeds into a small bowl. Add the milk and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Add half of the milk mixture and beat to combine. Continue alternating between the dry ingredients and milk mixture until fully incorporated.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake papers, fill to about 2/3 full.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the frosting by beating the butter in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat to combine. Slowly add the sugar. Add the vanilla extract, seeds from the vanilla bean pod and milk. Continue beating until light and fluffy.

Friday, February 10, 2012

This recipe is paleo-friendly, dairy-free and can also be made vegan and egg-free.

And it actually tastes like ice cream!

The egg yolks are completely optional but will result in a richer, creamier ice cream. I have used the base recipe to make Green Tea Almond ice cream (with out eggs) and Chocolate Almond Butter ice cream (with eggs). Other tempting flavourings: mango puree, instant coffee powder, coconut extract and shaved coconut, banana, fresh mint and chocolate... the options are endless!

If using eggs or flavourings that need to melt such as chocolate or almond butter, heat the coconut milk and flavourings in a small saucepan, do not boil. Whisk in the eggs. Add the sweetener to taste but remember that ice cream generally tastes less sweet once it is frozen. Transfer to the ice cream maker.

If you are not using eggs or a flavouring that needs to be melted, simply whisk every thing together in a bowl and transfer to the ice cream maker.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until softened. Add the potato and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potato is tender. Add the corn and salmon. Simmer 5 minutes further until the salmon is cooked through. Add the cream and seasonings. Allow to simmer until warmed through.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

By far my favorite juice. We have been going through a bag of carrots and apples a week recently!

Makes 2 cups

2 apples
3 carrots
1/2 slice ginger, optional
Wedge lemon, optional

Remove stems from carrots and beets. Cut the apples and vegetables down as required to fit into the juicer. If desired, add ginger or lemon to the juicer. Process through juicer according to manufactuer's instructions.

welcome

Hello, my name is Amy. I love to eat, cook, bake, read cookbooks and garden. Together with my husband and sous chef, David, I spend a lot of time in our kitchen and started this blog to document our creations. We hope you enjoy our adventures!